Zigzag clouds in the morning - altocumulus undulatus above the west of Ireland.

Over the years I have photographed many types of clouds but this is one of the most interesting skies that I have trained my camera on.

Early morning in July on Galway Bay and the diving tower at Salthill saw the formation of this dramatic skyscape but it was not until we got to Lough Corrib with its calm waters reflecting the unusual clouds above that the scene looked so impressive as to make you stop and breathe it all in. A moment never to be repeated, unusual enough that in 20 years of photographing the Irish landscape I have never seen similar before.

The landscapes of Ireland are renowned for their verdure. In a typical year the summer temperatures rarely exceed 30C and in winter mild temperatures mean little hard ice and snow.

This is not a typical year however, a harsh winter with several major snow and ice events and now a long heatwave with little rain since the end of May mean that typically lush scenes look yellow and brown like in this image above.

Many trees are now also turning autumnal with green leaves changing to brown, hedgerows with fuchsia and montbretia usually ablaze with reds and oranges too are lacklustre.

Most people are saying that it was in 1976 when they last had a summer like this and certainly the summers of late haven't had anything more than a day or two at a time of good weather.

It's quite amazing really, not a need to bring a rain jacket and often 16C overnight meaning that the countryside is warm enough to enjoy in the evening without long sleeves.

Photographically it is a challenge as many of the days so far have had only bright blue skies without clouds for interest and contrast in the landscape.

And of course that famous green has disappeared, for now. I'm sure it will be back when the rain and cooler temperatures return.

Panoramic Ireland's photo tours are available in Galway, Dublin, Cork and everywhere else in Ireland, join me and learn how to photograph the beauty of Ireland's landscapes.

It has been a long time coming, after weeks of calm, warm and sunny weather the west coast of Ireland is now receiving storm winds and rain straight off the Atlantic.

Hopefully of course it won't last too long and the real Irish summer weather takes hold again soon.

Here waves crash all over the west coast, topping over rocks of ancient origins and filling the air with salty sea spray, but what a day to be alive and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells - don't you think?

Join Panoramic Ireland on a photography tour of the west coast of Ireland all year round and in any weather - here in conditions that a typical tourist would insist on staying indoors. Let's capture the energy of a day on the Wild Atlantic Way.

No journey through the west of Ireland can be complete without seeing one of the most characterful sights of the Irish countryside, the Irish Donkey.

Here on a recent photo tour by Panoramic Ireland, we sought out horses and donkeys.

It was a hot day and in a field of energetic donkeys this one stood, resting momentarily with sunshine and shadow.

During the 19th century and for much of the last century donkeys played a vital role in rural life, doing most of the heavy work on farms before mechanisation particularly on those farms where horses were too large for the small fields or expensive to keep.

Now there are few working donkeys in Ireland but there are many neglected Irish donkeys, as a result the Irish Donkey Sanctuary looks for suitable places all over Ireland to rehouse these long-eared friendly creatures.

And thankfully so, the Irish donkey is an essential component of rural life.

So keep an eye out for the long ears sticking up over a stone wall or the loud braying sounding throughout the countryside.

Why not join me on a photography tour in the west of Ireland?

The rugged mountains of Ireland stand over the flat boglands of waterlogged earth.

Here the peaks, not particularly high, rounded by erosion during the Ice Age stand guard over the Irish landscape as they have for aeons.

It has been a busy few weeks here in Ireland, I have been photographing all over the island leading photography workshops and tours.

The West of Ireland is full of landscapes like this Connemara panorama with rugged mountains and rough pasture.

It is also home to locations like this one at Pine Island.

On a bright winter's day the west is full of character for the photographer and visitor alike.

The Blue Hour is a classic time of day for landscape photographers to photograph. There are in fact two blue hours and both don't necessarily last for an hour.

The first blue hour precedes sunrise and the second of the day comes after sunset; wrapped inside the day there is also the golden hour that we will talk about separately.

During the evening blue hour - light is fading, the sun has set and we lose the direct brightness from our light-giving star.

Red light passes through Earth's atmosphere and further into space, while blue light with its shorter wavelength gets trapped and scattered, and bounces around to create a blue coloured period we call the Blue Hour.

I found this old stone bridge recently, having photographed the valley in which it sits I climbed down off the road, slipping most of the way on the steep incline that was boggy and wet.

Thankfully the ground was soft.

I have been spending time photographing and leading photography workshops recently in Dingle, Ireland's most westerly peninsula in County Kerry.

Here is an image of the Atlantic, its waves crashing up over ancient rocks under a stormy sky.